Man charged with seducing girl via social media

Apr. 19, 2013 @ 12:00 AM

CURTIS JOHNSON

HUNTINGTON -- A 21-year-old man has been arrested and charged with using social media and pornographic images to seduce a girl at Cabell Midland High School.

The allegations started with Justin Edward Shanteau sending the victim, 17, a friend request through Facebook. The student accepted the request March 6, received a text message from Shanteau and soon learned the friend request came from a fake account he had created, according to a criminal complaint filed in Cabell County Magistrate Court.

The complaint further states Shanteau engaged the student in a casual conversation, but that escalated when Shanteau sent her a picture of male genitalia. He asked her to send him pictures of herself. She declined, and that prompted him to call her names and threaten to tell others bad things about her, the complaint states.

Shanteau was charged with felony use of obscene matter with intent to seduce a minor and distribution/display of obscene matter to a minor, according to the complaints.

The student contacted staff at Cabell Midland High School on March 7. That was followed by a staff member calling West Virginia State Police. The trooper met the student a day later, seized her phone and submitted it for digital forensic.

The analysis revealed a picture matching the student's allegations, comments about Shanteau creating a fake account and messages stating his desire for sexual intercourse. The analysis also uncovered name-calling and threats similar to those mentioned by the student.

The student told police she had known Shanteau for several years, but had not been in contact with him for about a year.

The initial friend request came from a "Jake Adkins," the name Shanteau used to create his fake account. The girl told police she accepted the request believing "Adkins" knew some of her friends, despite not knowing anyone with that name.

Shanteau was arrested late Wednesday and was incarcerated at 2:15 a.m. Thursday in the Western Regional Jail. Cabell County Magistrate Mike Woelfel arraigned the suspect via video and set bond at $40,000.